Genealogy Chat

Hi, I am a bit stuck as to where to look now as my ggggrandfather, Anthony Joseph Hoffman, was born in Germany in 1773. He was a lieutenant in the Napoleonic war, became a prisoner of war and was moved to Ashby De La Zouch in Leicestershire. He married an English lady. I am wanting to find his parents or anything else about him. Thank you in advance.

Anthony Joseph Hoffmann
England Marriages, 1538–1973
Name:
Anthony Joseph Hoffmann
Event Type:
Marriage
Event Date:
14 May 1810
Event Place:
Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom
Event Place (Original):
Ashby de la Zouch, Leicester, England
Sex:
Male
Spouse's Name:
Elizabeth Peach
Spouse's Sex:
Female

Anthony Joseph Hoffmann
England, Leicestershire Parish Registers, 1533-1991
Name:
Anthony Joseph Hoffmann
Event Type:
Marriage
Event Date:
14 May 1810
Event Place:
Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom
Event Place (Original):
Leicestershire,England,Ashby de la Zouch, St Helen's
Residence Place:
French Prisoner of War, Ashby de la Zouch
Sex:
Male
Religion:
Anglican
Spouse's Name:
Elizabeth Peach
Spouse's Residence Place:
Ashby de la Zouch
Record Number:
GBPRS/LEICS/MAR/00298029/1
Affiliate Image Identifier:
http://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=S2/GBPRS/LEICS/15-0818-GB-LEC-ASHBY-DE-LA-ZOUCH-ST-HE-DE1013-12-MARRIAGES-1796-1812/00094

Anthony Joseph Hoffman
England, Leicestershire Parish Registers, 1533-1991
Name:
Anthony Joseph Hoffman
Event Type:
Burial
Event Date:
16 Mar 1851
Event Place:
Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom
Event Place (Original):
Leicestershire,England,Ashby de la Zouch, St Helen's
Age:
78
Religion:
Anglican
Page Number:
136
Record Number:
GBPRS/LEICS/BUR/00675464

Elizabeth Hoffman
England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007

Name:
Elizabeth Hoffman
Event Type:
Death
Registration Quarter:
Apr-May-Jun
Registration Year:
1847
Registration District:
Ashby De La Zouch
County:
Leicestershire
Event Place:
Ashby De La Zouch, Leicestershire, England
Volume:
15
Affiliate Line Number:
37

vent Place:
Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom
Event Place (Original):
Ashby De La Zouch, Leicestershire, England
County:
Leicestershire
Parish:
Ashby De La Zouch
Registration District:
Ashby De La Zouch Union
Residence Note:
Green
Sex:
Male
Age:
25
Age (Original):
25
Birth Year (Estimated):
1812-1816
Birthplace:
Leicestershire
Page Number:
15
Registration Number:
HO107
Piece/Folio:
594/28
Affiliate Record Type:
Household
Affiliate Image Identifier:
GBC/1841/0594/0086&parentid=GBC/1841/0005910791
Household Role Sex Age Birthplace
Elizabeth Hoffman Female 50 Leicestershire
John Hoffman Male 25 Leicestershire
Lucy Pegg Female 25 Leicestershire

John Hoffman
England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
Name:
John Hoffman
Event Type:
Christening
Event Date:
15 Feb 1815
Event Place:
Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom
Event Place (Original):
Ashby de la Zouch, Leicester, England
Sex:
Male
Father's Name:
Anthony Hoffman
Mother's Name:
Elizabeth

Thomas Hoffman
England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975





Name:
Thomas Hoffman
Event Type:
Christening
Event Date:
5 May 1820
Event Place:
Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom
Event Place (Original):
Ashby de la Zouch, Leicester, England
Sex:
Male
Father's Name:
Anthony Hoffman
Mother's Name:
Elizabeth

Anthony Hoffman
England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975





Name:
Anthony Hoffman
Event Type:
Christening
Event Date:
21 Nov 1817
Event Place:
Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom
Event Place (Original):
Ashby de la Zouch, Leicester, England
Sex:
Male
Father's Name:
Anthony Hoffman
Mother's Name:
Elizabeth

Sarah Hoffman
England, Leicestershire Parish Registers, 1533-1991





Name:
Sarah Hoffman
Event Type:
Baptism
Event Date:
10 Jan 1813
Event Place:
Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom
Event Place (Original):
Leicestershire,England,Ashby de la Zouch, St Helen's
Religion:
Anglican
Baptism Date:
10 Jan 1813
Father's Name:
Anthony
Mother's Name:
Elizabeth
Page Number:
1

??? His stated age at death isn't necessarily accurate, as is the case even nowadays.

Anton Josef Hoffmann
in the Mainz, Germany, Church Index Cards, 1585-1807
Name: Anton Josef Hoffmann
Birth Date: 3 Mai 1771 (3 May 1771)
Birth Parish: Sankt Emmeran
Birth Place: Mainz, Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate), Deutschland (Germany)
Father Name: Matheus Hoffmann
Mother Name: Elisabeth Hoffmann


Alternatively -

Antonius Josephus Hoffmann
in the Germany, Select Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898
Name: Antonius Josephus Hoffmann
Gender: Male
Baptism Age: 0
Birth Date: 5. Apr 1770 (5 Apr 1770)
Birth Place: Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Baden
Baptism Date: 5. Apr 1770 (5 Apr 1770)
Baptism Place: Heidelberg, Baden, Germany
Residence Place: Heidelberg, Baden, Germany
Father: Phillippi Hoffmann
Mother: Margarethae Helbmajerin
FHL Film Number: 1053581



As you don't know exactly where he was born, it's impossible to know if either of these is him.
Possibly neither - his baptism record may not have survived.

He's in several trees on Ancestry, each with a lot of guesswork and not much proof of anything..

Notes on one tree - tree owner sarahaclarke:

DAnthonyHoffman:
Notes are by D.A. Hoffman:
This information comes to us from his granddaughter Ann Cartlidge (nee Stanford) who would probably be 20 years old when Anthony Joseph Hoffman died (Anthony died very close to Ann’s 21st birthday). He told this story against himself (and the fact that he tells this story indicates that he is honest but has an excess of self-confidence). He said that his fellow townsmen appointed him treasurer of a local sick club (this would be a voluntary unpaid job). But he failed to keep his books in proper order and there was a shortage of funds. At a meeting of the officials of the club, held to clear up the confusion, the treasurer was asked to explain matters. His explanations only made the confusion worse compounded; and the officials now growing indignant did not omit to tell him so. “I can’t help it being wrong,” he replied, smiling in his most engaging manner, “the book says so.”. And then a brilliant idea, which may be recommended to treasurers in a tight corner, flashed into his mind. “My dear frints, I vill dell you vat vee vill do; vee vill burn all de books oont settle de aggounts vit our headpieces”. These words in italics are quoted from “The story of Ashby-de-la-Zouche” by W. Scott, published in 1907 by George Brown Ashby-de-la-Zouche. My copy of this book was bought by Ivy my mother on 21 December 1939. Antony Joseph Hoffmann married Elizabeth Peach nine months after his arrival in Ashby-de-la-Zouch. The marriage took place at Saint Helen’s Church. The marriage certificate shows the change of the spelling of his name. The date is 14th May 1810 "Antony Joseph Hoffmann" is my ancestor's clearly written signature on his wedding certificate (in Ashby-de-la-Zouch to a six-month pregnant illiterate English girl very much younger than he - possibly 17 years his junior). But officialdom is already there, because the marriage certificate of this "French Prisoner of War" starts off by saying that he is "Anthony Joseph Hoffman n" - the last "n" is out of line and is detached - clearly a late addition (there wasn’t much the official could do about the “h” in Anthony). Thereafter the grandfather of my great grandfather was always officially "Anthony" and "Hoffman".
11 years ago

DAnthonyHoffman :
Waterloo is impossible: The Battle of Waterloo was 18 June 1815.
Three of Anthony's children were born (in Ashby de la Zouch) by then.
For a better account "Search" for

Anthony
Hoffman
1772 ± 0
then look at Public Members Stories
Posted 10 years ago

DAnthonyHoffman :
Waterloo is quite impossible: Waterloo was in 1815, by which time Antonij was married and had three English born children .
Posted 8 years ago.

Thanks all for your help. He was definitely married to Elizabeth Peach. I know his son was Thomas Hoffman as that's my line to him, I'm guessing Sarah, John and Anthony were their other children. Any ideas why he was a prisoner of war? What battle was it? And any ideas how I can find who his parents were?
Thanks so much :-)

You ask,
"Any ideas why he was a prisoner of war? What battle was it?"

In your opening post you said he'd been in the Napoleonic War.
That's probably correct.
The Napoleonic Wars consisted of several different battles.

Several to choose from - probably impossible to find out exactly which one:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars:_1800%E2%80%931899


I don't think you'l be able to find out who his parents were without knowing exactly where he was born.

Info here:
https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Germany_Genealogy
https://www.cyndislist.com/germany/bmd/

Thank you for your help. I don't know a lot about the Napoleonic wars. I'd heard there were French POWs but hadn't heard much about Germans. Would it help maybe if I bought his marriage certificate, maybe his parent's names will be on there?

No such things as as certs before July 1837.............

He would probably have been regarded as a Prussian rather than a German.

I think the Prussians fought against Napoleon.

Looks like a lot more research on Prussian so,diets needs to be done.